On-premises communication bridges for premises security systems

ABSTRACT

A method implemented by an on-site secondary control device in communication with an on-site primary control device for a premises security system is provided. The on-site primary control device is configured to trigger an alarm event signal associated with the premises security system, and the on-site secondary control device is physically separated from the on-site primary control device. An alarm event signal is received at the on-site secondary control device from the on-site primary control device indicating that a premises device has been triggered. The alarm event signal is temporarily stored. In response to determining that a criterion associated with the premises system is met, the alarm event signal is transmitted by the on-site secondary control device to the remote monitoring center.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 63/288,274, filed Dec. 10, 2021, entitledON-PREMISES COMMUNICATION BRIDGE FOR PREMISES SECURITY SYSTEM, theentirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to methods and premises security systemsusing on-site secondary controllers for performing backup and/orredundancy related functionality during a premises security event.

INTRODUCTION

Existing premises security systems monitor a premises for predefinedevents that are typically associated with one or more specializedsensors. For example, a premises security system may trigger anintrusion alarm when a door contact sensor is triggered. In accordancewith American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Security IndustryAssociation (SIA) Control Panel (CP) compliance, e.g., CP-01 compliance,these existing premises security systems support an entry delay that iscustomizable within a given range of time. In some exiting systems, theentry delay may be customizable with the range of value from 15 to 60seconds. The user must disarm the premises security system within theentry delay window, or the premises security system will send an alarmto the security monitoring center. However, while in the entry delaywindow, the premises security system does not report the alarm to thesecurity monitoring center. Thus, there is a risk that an intruder candestroy the alarm controller and prevent the alarm from being reportedto the security monitoring center during the entry delay window, whichis known as “crash and smash.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of embodiments described herein, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example system comprising a premises securitysystem according to principles disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a control device and a secondary controller inthe system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process in the secondary controlleraccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process in the control deviceaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another example process in the secondarycontroller according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of another example process in the control deviceaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an example premises security system configuration according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is another example premises security system configurationaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is another example premises security system configurationaccording to some embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is another example premises security system configurationaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments advantageously provide a method and premises securitysystems using on-site secondary controllers for performing backup and/orredundancy related functionality during a premises security event.

That is, some exiting systems may provide pre-registering of the alarmto the cloud service (i.e., off-site of the premises). However, in theevent of communication loss, the main controller (e.g., an on-sitemain/primary control device) might not be able to register the alarm tothe cloud service on time. One or more embodiments described hereinprovide for registering the alarm locally to a component within range ofthe main controller and thus reducing the chance for disruption. Oneadvantage of this solution is the obscurity of the alarm reportingcomponent. Another advantage is being able to leverage the user's mobilecellular device as a secondary alarm controller (e.g., an on-sitesecondary control device). The secondary controller(s) can be hidden inthe premises in non-accessible location(s) by the attacker(s). Thesecondary controller(s) may be within local communication of the maincontroller. This arrangement reduces risk of up-stream disruption.

One or more embodiments descried herein solves one or more issues withexisting systems by providing an in-home secondary controller that isphysically separated from the main controller, where the system canpre-register the alarm at the beginning of the entry delay window. Inthe event the main controller is destroyed, the secondary controller canreport the alarm. The secondary controller may be a hidden componentwith cellular communication to combat broadband loss. The secondarycontroller should have sufficient backup battery capability.

In one or more embodiments, in the home/premises, a base/control unitacts as the main security controller where a secondary controller(s) isprovided that has alternative communication path(s) to the alarmservice. In one or more embodiments, the secondary controller includesone of a Wifi-Cellular bridge and a Digital enhanced cordlesstelecommunications (DECT) Ultra Low Energy (DECT/ULE) cellular bridge.The main controller can establish communication with the secondarycontroller(s) via the Wifi connection or Dect/Ule connection orBluetooth® connection or a Bluetooth®/BLE-Cellular bridge. There can bea single or multiple secondary controller(s) in the security systemwhere the secondary controllers may utilize the same communication typeor a mix of the communication types described herein.

When the security system enters the entry delay window, the maincontroller establishes communication with the secondary controller, andsends a pending alarm event registration to the secondary controller.The registration may include the type of alarm event, the requiredattributes, an expiration time, and necessary information to report thealarm to the alarm service.

In case the user correctly disarms the system, the main controller sendsa cancellation to the secondary controller. The secondary controller(s)will not report the alarm to the alarm service. When the event expireswithout cancellation, the secondary controller(s) report the alarm tothe alarm service.

Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that theembodiments may reside in combinations of apparatus components andprocessing steps related to premises security systems and in particularto performing backup and/or redundancy related functionality during apremises security event. Accordingly, the system and method componentshave been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in thedrawings, focusing only those specific details that facilitateunderstanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not toobscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the descriptionherein.

As used herein, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top”and “bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entityor element from another entity or element without necessarily requiringor implying any physical or logical relationship or order between suchentities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or“including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

In some embodiments, the general description elements in the form of“one of A and B” corresponds to A or B. In some embodiments, at leastone of A and B corresponds to A, B or AB, or to one or more of A and B.In some embodiments, at least one of A, B and C corresponds to one ormore of A, B and C, and/or A, B, C or a combination thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It willbe further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted ashaving a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context ofthis specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted inan idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In embodiments described herein, the joining term, “in communicationwith” and the like, may be used to indicate electrical or datacommunication, which may be accomplished by physical contact, induction,electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling oroptical signaling, for example. One having ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that multiple components may interoperate andmodifications and variations are possible of achieving the electricaland data communication.

Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designatorsrefer to like elements there is shown in FIG. 1 a system designatedgenerally as “10.” System 10 may include premises security system 11where premises security system 11 includes and/or is associated with oneor more user interface devices 12 a to 12 n (collectively referred to as“user interface device 12”), one or more premises devices 14 a to 14 n(collectively referred to as “premises device 14”), control device 16(e.g., on-site primary control device 16), and one or more secondarycontrollers 17 a to 17 n (collectively referred to as “secondarycontroller 17” and/or “on-site secondary control device 17”). As usedherein, “controller” and “control device” are used interchangeably.System 10 may further include one or more networks 18 a to 18 n(collectively referred to as “network 18”), and one or more remotemonitoring centers 20 a to 20 n (collectively referred to as “remotemonitoring center 20”), communicating with each other or with at leastone other entity in system 10.

User interface device 12 may be a wireless device that allows a user tocommunicate with control device 16. User interface device 12 may be aportable control keypad/interface, computer, mobile phone and tablet,among other devices that allow a user to interface with control device16 and/or one or more premises devices 14. User interface device 12 maycommunicate at least with control device 16 using one or more wiredand/or wireless communication protocols. For example, in embodimentswhere the user interface device 12 is a portable control keypad, theuser interface device 12 may communicate with control device 16 via aZigBee based communication link, e.g., a network based on Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 protocols, and/or aZ-wave based communication link, or over the premises' local areanetwork, e.g., a network-based on IEEE 802.11 protocols.

Premises devices 14 may include one or more types of sensors, controland/or image capture devices. For example, the types of sensors mayinclude various safety related sensors such as motion sensors, firesensors, carbon monoxide sensors, flooding sensors and contact sensors,among other sensor types. The control device 16 may include, forexample, one or more lifestyle (e.g., home automation) related devicesconfigured to adjust at least one premises setting such as lighting,temperature, energy usage, door lock and power settings, among othersettings associated with the premises or devices on the premises. Imagecapture devices may include a digital camera and/or video camera, amongother image captures devices. Premises device 14 may communicate withcontrol device 16 via wireless communication protocols, including butnot limited to the Wi-Fi wireless communication protocol. Variousadditional sensors and control and/or image capture devices may relateto life safety or lifestyle depending on both what the sensors, controland image capture devices do and how these sensors, control and imagedevices are used by system 10.

Premises devices 14 may include one or more types of sensors,microphones, control and/or image capture devices. For example, thetypes of sensors may include various safety related sensors such asmotion sensors, fire sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, flooding sensorsand contact sensors, among other sensor types. The control devices 16may include, for example, one or more lifestyle (e.g., home automation)related devices configured to adjust at least one premises setting suchas lighting, temperature, energy usage, door lock and power settings,among other settings associated with the premises or devices on thepremises. Image capture devices may include a digital camera and/orvideo camera, among other image captures devices (e.g., infrared orthermal imaging cameras). Premises device 14 may communicate withcontrol device 16 via wireless communication protocols, including butnot limited to the Wi-Fi wireless communication protocol. Variousadditional sensors and control and/or image capture devices may relateto life safety or lifestyle depending on both what the sensors, controland image capture devices do and how these sensors, control and imagedevices are used by system 10.

Control device 16 may provide one or more of management functions,monitoring functions, analysis functions, control functions such aspower management, premises device management and alarmmanagement/analysis, among other functions to the premises securitysystem 11. In particular, control device 16 may manage one or more lifesafety and lifestyle features. Life safety features may correspond tosecurity system functions and settings associated with premisesconditions that may result in life threatening harm to a person such ascarbon monoxide detection and intrusion detection. Lifestyle featuresmay correspond to security system functions and settings associated withvideo capturing devices and non-life-threatening conditions of thepremises such as lighting and thermostat functions.

Control device 16 may include an alarm unit 19 for performing controldevice 16 functions such as receiving/transmitting certain informationand data from the premises device 14, performing certain monitoring,configuration and/or control functions associated with the premisessecurity system 11, and/or functions such as security alertdeterminations/analysis and functionality as described herein. Forexample, the control device 16 may be in wired and/or wirelesscommunication with the premises device 14. The premises device 14 isconfigured to trigger and transmit an event signal indicative of asensed or detected event to the alarm unit 19. For example, the sensedor detected user event may be the detection of a user or intruderentering the premises through a door, window, gate, or other physicalbarrier restricting access or entry to the premises, among other events.Once the signal is received, the alarm unit 19 is configured to performone or more monitoring, configuration and/or control functionsassociated with the premises security system 11 based on the eventsignal. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the event signal mayinclude sensor data such as audible, visual, and/or tactile informationrecorded, measured, or otherwise generated by the premises device 14.For example, in embodiments in which the premises device 14 includes animage capture device and/or a microphone, the premises device 14 maycapture audio and video of a user or intruder, within a predeterminedtime window, entering the premises once the user event is detected(e.g., a user/intruder opening a door or window to enter the premises)where the image, video, data, etc., are transmitted to the controldevice 16 in the event signal. As described in more detail below, insome embodiments, upon the triggering of the event signal, theindividual entering the premises must enter an alarm termination code,password, sequence, biological input, or gesture related input, etc., tothe premises device 14 and/or user interface device 12 within an entrywindow to disarm the security alarm of the premises. As describedherein, an “entry window” corresponds to a given interval of time (e.g.,predefined time window or period) such as, for example, at least 10-30seconds, for a user to disarm the premises' security alarm upon entry ofthe premises. When a user correctly disarms the security alarm, thealarm termination signal is sent to the secondary controller 17 so thatthe secondary controller 17 does not yet report the alarm event to theremote monitoring center 20.

In one or more embodiments, secondary controller 17 may be an on-sitesecondary controller 17 (e.g., on-site secondary control device 17) forperforming backup and/or redundancy related functionality during apremises security event. Secondary controller 17 may include a commandunit 21, processing circuitry 46, etc., for performing secondarycontroller 17 functions such as receiving and/or transmitting certaininformation and data from the control device 16, performing certainmonitoring, configuration and/or control functions associated with thepremises security system 11, and/or functions such as security alertdeterminations or analysis and functionality as described herein. Forexample, the secondary controller 17 may be in wireless communicationwith the control device 16 (e.g., on-site primary control device 16).The control device 16 is configured to transmit an alarm event signalindicative of the triggering of a premises security system 11 alarmduring the entry window security alarm for the premises to the secondarycontroller 17. Once the signal is received, the secondary controller 17is configured to perform one or more monitoring, configuration and/orcontrol functions associated with the premises security system 11 basedon the received alarm event signal. As described, in more detail below,in some embodiments, command unit 21 is configured to instruct thesecondary controller 17 to at least temporarily store the alarm eventsignal until one or more criteria are met, which will determine whetheror not the alarm event signal should be transmitted by the secondarycontroller 17 to another entity such as the remote monitoring center 20,or should be discarded.

Control device 16 may communicate with the secondary controller 17 andnetwork 18 via one or more communication links. In particular, a firstcommunication link 22 n between control device 16 and secondarycontroller 17 may be a low power and short distance communicationprotocol such as, for example, Wi-Fi (22 a), Dect Ultra Low Energy(Dect/ULE) (22 b), or Bluetooth® (22 c). Control device 16 may beconfigured to determine which communication protocol to use when incommunication with the secondary controller 17. For example, the controldevice 16 may determine which communication protocol has the greatestconnection strength, and therefore may default to that particularcommunication protocol over other protocols. Additionally, if controldevice 16 has established a communication link with secondary controller17 using a first communication protocol, the control device 16 mayevaluate the quality or strength of the communication link and switch toa second communication protocol if there is a disruption or weaking ofthe first communication protocol so that information (e.g., alarm eventsignals and alarm termination signals) may be sent to the secondarycontroller 17 for at least temporary storage.

In one or more embodiments, the secondary controller 17 may be aWiFi-Cellular bridge, e.g., a device which provides an interconnectionand/or translation between a Wi-Fi protocol and/or network and acellular protocol and/or network, such that the control device 16 canestablish communication with the secondary controller 17 via the Wi-Ficonnection.

In one or more embodiments, the secondary controller 17 may be aDECT/ULE-cellular bridge e.g., a device which provides aninterconnection and/or translation between a DECT/ULE protocol and/ornetwork and a cellular protocol and/or network. The control device 16can establish communication with the secondary controller 17 via theDECT ULE connection.

In one or more embodiments, the secondary controller 17 may be a mobilecellular device.

In one or more embodiments, the secondary controller 17 may be aBluetooth/BLE-cellular bridge e.g., a device which provides aninterconnection and/or translation between a Bluetooth/BLE protocoland/or network and a cellular protocol and/or network. The controldevice 16 may establish communication with the secondary controller 17via the Bluetooth® connection.

A second communication link 23 between control device 16 and network 18,and a third communication link 24 between secondary controller 17 andnetwork 18, may each be broadband communication link such as a wiredcable modem or Ethernet communication link, and digital cellularcommunication link, e.g., long term evolution (LTE, also referred to as4G) and/or New Radio (NR, also referred to as 5G) based link, amongother communication links known in the art. Broadband as used herein mayrefer to a communication link other than a plain old telephone service(POTS) line. Ethernet communication link may be an IEEE 802.3 or 802.11based communication link. Network 18 may be a wide area network, localarea network, wireless local network and metropolitan area network,among other networks known in the art. Network 18 providescommunications between control device 16 and remote monitoring center20, and communications between secondary controller 17 and remotemonitoring center 20. In one or more embodiments, control device 16 maybe part of premises device 14 or user interface device 12.

While control device 16 is illustrated as being a separate device fromuser interface device 12 and premises device 14, in one or moreembodiments, control device 16 may be integrated with one or more userinterface devices 12 and/or premises devices 14 and/or otherentity/device located at premises associated with premises securitysystem 11.

While secondary controller 17 is described herein as being incommunication with the control device 16, it is to be understood thatsecondary controller 17 may also be in wired and/or wirelesscommunication with user interface device 12 and/or premises device 14such that signals, data, and/or audible, visual, and tactile informationmay be transmitted from either user interface device 12 or premisesdevice 14, may also be transmitted directly to secondary controller 17.

Example implementations, in accordance with one or more embodiments, ofcontrol device 16 and secondary controller 17 discussed in the precedingparagraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

The system 10 includes a control device 16 that includes hardware 28enabling the control device 16 to communicate with one or more entitiesin system 10 and to perform one or more functions described herein. Thehardware 28 may include a communication interface 30 for setting up andmaintaining at least a wired and/or wireless connection (e.g., wirelessconnections 22, 23, 24 etc.) to one or more entities in system 10 suchas remote monitoring center 20, premises device 14, user interfacedevice 12, etc.

In the embodiment shown, the hardware 28 of the control device 16further includes processing circuitry 34. The processing circuitry 34may include a processor 36 and a memory 38. In particular, in additionto or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, andmemory, the processing circuitry 34 may comprise integrated circuitryfor processing and/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/orprocessor cores and/or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and/orapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to executeinstructions. The processor 36 may be configured to access (e.g., writeto and/or read from) the memory 38, which may comprise any kind ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memoryand/or random access memory (RAM) and/or read-only memory (ROM) and/oroptical memory and/or erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM).

Thus, the control device 16 further has software 40 stored internallyin, for example, memory 38, or stored in external memory (e.g.,database, storage array, network storage device, etc.) accessible by thecontrol device 16 via an external connection. The software 40 may beexecutable by the processing circuitry 34. The processing circuitry 34may be configured to control any of the methods and/or processesdescribed herein and/or to cause such methods, and/or processes to beperformed, e.g., by control device 16. Processor 36 corresponds to oneor more processors 36 for performing control device 16 functionsdescribed herein. The memory 38 is configured to store data,programmatic software code and/or other information described herein. Insome embodiments, the software 40 may include instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor 36 and/or processing circuitry 34, causes theprocessor 36 and/or processing circuitry 34 to perform the processesdescribed herein with respect to control device 16. For example,processing circuitry 34 of the control device 16 may include alarm unit19 which is configured to perform one or more control device 16functions described herein such as with respect to alarm activation anddeactivation determinations and/or other alarm phase based actions.

Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show alarm unit 19 as being within a respectiveprocessor, this unit may be implemented such that a portion of the unitis stored in a corresponding memory within the processing circuitry. Inother words, the unit may be implemented in hardware or in a combinationof hardware and software within the processing circuitry.

Example implementations, in accordance with one or more embodiments, ofsecondary controller 17 discussed in the preceding paragraphs will nowbe described with reference to FIG. 2 .

The system 10 includes a secondary controller 17 that includes hardware42 enabling the secondary controller 17 to communicate with one or moreentities in system 10 and to perform one or more functions describedherein. The hardware 42 may include a communication interface 44 forsetting up and maintaining at least a wired and/or wireless connectionto one or more entities in system 10 such as remote monitoring center 20and control device 16.

In the embodiment shown, the hardware 42 of the secondary controller 17further includes processing circuitry 46. The processing circuitry 46may include a processor 48 and a memory 50. In particular, in additionto or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, andmemory, the processing circuitry 46 may comprise integrated circuitryfor processing and/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/orprocessor cores and/or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and/orapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to executeinstructions. The processor 36 may be configured to access (e.g., writeto and/or read from) the memory 38, which may comprise any kind ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memoryand/or random access memory (RAM) and/or read-only memory (ROM) and/oroptical memory and/or erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM).

Thus, the secondary controller 17 further has software 52 storedinternally in, for example, memory 50, or stored in external memory(e.g., database, storage array, network storage device, etc.) accessibleby the secondary controller 17 via an external connection. The software52 may be executable by the processing circuitry 46. The processingcircuitry 46 may be configured to control any of the methods and/orprocesses described herein and/or to cause such methods, and/orprocesses to be performed, e.g., by secondary controller 17. Processor48 corresponds to one or more processors 48 for performing secondarycontroller 17 functions described herein. The memory 50 is configured toat least temporarily store data, programmatic software code and/or otherinformation described herein such as an alarm event signal and/orassociated alarm information/data. In some embodiments, the software 52may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 48 and/orprocessing circuitry 46, causes the processor 48 and/or processingcircuitry 46 to perform the processes described herein with respect tosecondary controller 17. For example, processing circuitry 46 of thesecondary controller 17 may include command unit 21 which is configuredto perform one or secondary controller 17 functions described hereinsuch as with respect to storing and determining whether the alarm eventsignal should be transmitted to the remote monitoring center 20 based onwhether a criteria is met, or whether the stored alarm event signalshould be discarded.

In another example, processing circuitry 46 of the secondary controller17 may optionally include alarm unit 19 where secondary controller 17may be configured to take over control device 16 functionality afterdetermining a criteria has been met where the criteria indicates thecontrol device 16 has been disabled. In this case, the secondarycontroller 17 may continue the countdown for disarming the timer and/orreceive event signals from premises devices 14. Further, the secondarycontroller 17 may indicate to the premises devices 14 and/or userinterface device 12 that it is taking over control device 16functionality such that one or more of these user interface and premisesdevices 14 may begin to send the event signal and/or other data to thesecondary controller 17.

When the system 10 has entered the entry delay window for a user todisarm the system 10, the control device 16 establishes communicationwith the secondary controller 17 and sends a pending alarm eventregistration. The registration may include the type of alarm event, therequired attributes necessary to disarm or disengage the premises'security alarm, an expiration time and necessary information to reportthe alarm to the alarm service. In case the user correctly disarmed thesystem, the control device 16 sends a cancellation or termination signalto the secondary controller 17. The secondary controller(s) 17 will notreport the alarm to the remote monitoring center 20. When the eventexpired without cancellation, the secondary controller(s) 17 report thealarm to the remote monitoring center 20.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process in an on-site secondarycontroller 17 according to one or more embodiments of the presentinvention. One or more blocks described herein may be performed by oneor more elements of secondary controller 17 such as by one or more ofprocessing circuitry 46 (including the command unit 21), processor 48,etc. Secondary controller 17 is in communication with a control device16 in a premises security system 11. Secondary controller 17 isconfigured to receive an alarm event signal from control device 16(Block S100), and at least temporarily store the alarm event signal inmemory 50 (Block S102). In one or more embodiments, the alarm eventsignal includes sensor data including at least one of audible, visual,and tactile information generated by a premises device 14 within apredetermined time window. Once the alarm event signal is stored withinmemory 50, the secondary controller 17 is configured to determinewhether to transmit the stored alarm event signal to an off-site thirdcontroller, such as remote monitoring center 20 based on whether acriteria is met (Block S104). When it is determined that the criteriahas been met, the secondary controller 17 is configured to transmit thealarm event signal to the remote monitoring center 20 (Block S106).

According to one or more embodiments, “on-site” corresponds to secondarycontroller 17 being integrated with one or more user interface devices12 and/or premises devices 14 and/or other entity/device located atpremises associated with premises security system 11. Additionallyand/or alternatively, on-site may correspond to the secondary controller17 being located at a premises associated with premises security system11, but not integrated with one or more user interface devices 12 and/orpremises devices 14 and/or other entity/device located at premisesassociated with premises security system 11. Further, in one or moreembodiments, off-site corresponds to secondary controller 17 not beinglocated at a premises associated with the premises security system 11,and not being integrated with one or more user interface devices 12and/or premises devices 14 and/or other entity/device located atpremises associated with premises security system 11.

According to one or more embodiments, the criteria may be met when: aconnection between the secondary controller 17 and control device 16 isat least temporarily disrupted; an alarm termination signal has not beenreceived by the secondary controller 17 from the control device 16within a predetermined interval of time (e.g., the entry window hasexpired); an adverse event (e.g., mechanical or electrical failure)affecting the on-site secondary controller 17 is detected; and an alarmtrigger signal is received by the secondary controller 17 from thecontrol device 16. In one or more embodiments, it may be determined bythe secondary controller 17 that the connection (i.e., communicationlink) between the secondary controller 17 and the control device 16 isat least temporarily disrupted when, for example, the strength of thecommunication link falls below a threshold or baseline value, or whenthe signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) goes above a secondthreshold.

In one or more embodiments, mechanical failure may be detected when, forexample, an accelerometer in control device 16 detects motion indicativeof the control device 16 being thrown or smashed, etc., and electricalfailure may be detected when, for example, an embedded power supply orconnection to an external power source is weakened, disrupted, smashed,or otherwise lost. In one or more embodiments, the criteria maycorrespond to the control device 16 receiving a predefined code from acontrol panel where the predefined code stops the audio and/or visualalarm warnings to mimic a disarm state, but in reality the predefinedcode triggers the alarm event signal to be immediately transmitted fromthe secondary controller 17 to an off-site controller. Such a predefinedcode may be useful in case the intruder is forcing or coercing the userto disarm the system.

In some configurations, the secondary controller 17 may also receive analarm trigger signal from the user interface device and/or premisesdevice 14. Based on which condition of the criteria is met, anassociated action is performed by the command unit 21. For example, whenthe condition is met, the secondary controller 17 transmits the alarmevent signal to the remote monitoring center 20. In one or moreembodiments, premises security system 11 may include a plurality ofsecondary controllers 17 where one or more of these secondarycontrollers 17 receive the alarm event signal either directly from thecontrol device 16 or from another secondary controller 17. Eachsecondary controller 17 may perform the process of FIG. 3 such as toprovide added redundancy. In one example, one secondary controller 17may communicate with remote monitoring center 20 (which may be“off-site”) via Wi-Fi communication while another secondary controller17 may communicate with remote monitoring center 20 via cellularcommunication (e.g., 4G, 5G, etc.). Therefore, even if one communicationlink such as the Wi-Fi link is disabled such as by cutting power to thepremises, at least one secondary controller 17 will still be able totransmit the alarm event to the remote monitoring center 20 via thecellular communication link.

In one or more embodiments, the plurality of secondary controllers 17may use a round-robin approach for transmitting the alarm event signalwhere if one secondary controller 17 is unable to transmit the alarmevent signal, the secondary controller 17 requests and/or causes anothersecondary controller 17 to attempt to transmit the alarm event signal tothe remote monitoring center 20, and so forth, until the alarm eventsignal has been transmitted or all secondary controllers 17 have triedto transmit the signal.

According to one or more embodiments, the entry window corresponds to agiven interval of time (e.g., predefined time window or period) such as,for example, at least 10-30 seconds, for a user to disarm the premises'security alarm upon entry of the premises. When a user correctly disarmsthe security alarm, the alarm termination signal is sent to thesecondary controller 17 so that the secondary controller 17 does notreport the alarm event to the remote monitoring center 20. According toone or more embodiments, the predetermined time window may correspond toone of at least second, at least one minute, at least one day, at leastone week, and at least one month prior to, during, and/or after theevent signal has been triggered.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process in a control device 16according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. One ormore blocks described herein may be performed by one or more elements ofcontrol device 16 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 34(including the alarm unit 19), processor 36, etc. Control device 16 isconfigured to receive an event signal from a premises device 14 (BlockS108), and determine whether to generate or trigger an alarm eventsignal based on information received in the event signal (Block S110).If it is determined that the alarm event signal should be triggered, thecontrol device 16 may then transmit the alarm event signal to an on-sitesecondary controller 17 for at least temporary storage until a criteriais met to perform at least one action associated with the criteria(Block S112). The event signal and/or the alarm event signal may eachinclude sensor data including at least one of audible, visual, andtactile information generated by a premises device 14 within apredetermined time window. As such, the control device 16 may beconfigured to determine whether to trigger the alarm event signal basedon the information included in the sensor data. The control device 16 isfurther configured to receive a first alarm event termination signal(Block S114), and subsequently transmit a second alarm event terminationsignal to the secondary controller 17 to cause the secondary controller17 to disregard the alarm event signal (Block S116). In one or moreembodiments, Block S114 and S116 are optional steps.

According to one or more embodiments, the alarm event signal transmittedby control device 16 to a secondary controller 17 may includeinformation associated with the type of alarm event, the requiredattributes necessary to disarm or disengage the premises' securityalarm, the duration of the entry window to disarm the security alarm,and the necessary information for reporting the alarm event to theremote monitoring center 20.

According to one or more embodiments, disregarding the alarm eventsignal may involve the secondary controller 17 not taking an action thatthe secondary controller 17 would otherwise take in response to thealarm event signal. For example, the secondary controller 17 maydisregard the alarm event signal by not notifying the remote monitoringcenter 20 of an alarm even upon the expiration of the entry delaywindow. In another embodiment, the secondary controller 17 may disregardthe alarm event signal by discarding the alarm event signal from memory.In another embodiment, the secondary controller 17 may disregard thealarm event signal by storing information indicating that the alarmevent signal has been resolved and that the secondary controller 17 isnot to notify the remote monitoring center 20 of the alarm event.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process in a secondary controller 17(e.g., an on-site secondary control device 17) according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention. One or more blocks describedherein may be performed by one or more elements of on-site secondarycontrol device 17 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 46(including the command unit 21), processor 48, etc. The on-sitesecondary control device 17 is configured to communicate with a controldevice 16 (e.g., an on-site primary control device 16) of a premisessecurity system 11, where the on-site primary control device 16 isconfigured to trigger an alarm event signal associated with the premisessecurity system 11, and the on-site secondary control device 17 isphysically separated from the on-site primary control device 16. On-sitesecondary control device 17 is configured to receive (Block S118) analarm event signal from the on-site primary control device indicatingthat a premises device has been triggered. On-site secondary controldevice 17 is configured to temporarily store (Block S120) the alarmevent signal. On-site secondary control device 17 is configured todetermine (Block S122) that a criterion associated with the premisessecurity system is met. On-site secondary control device 17 isconfigured to transmit (Block S124) the alarm event signal to the remotemonitoring center in response to determining that the criterionassociated with the premises system is met.

According to one or more embodiments, the criterion comprises at leastone of a wireless connection between the on-site secondary controldevice 17 and the on-site primary control device 16 is determined to beat least temporarily disrupted, a predetermined interval of time hasexpired, one of a mechanical failure or an electrical failure at one ofthe on-site secondary control device 17 or the on-site primary controldevice 16 is detected, or an alarm trigger signal including a predefinedcode entered by a user is received. According to one or moreembodiments, the criterion comprises at least one of a signal strengthof a connection between the on site secondary control device 17 and theon site primary control device 16 being below a first threshold value,or a signal to interference and noise ratio of the connection betweenthe on site secondary control device 17 and the on site primary controldevice 16 being below a second threshold value. According to one or moreembodiments, the criterion comprises a power level of the on siteprimary control device 16 or the on site secondary control deice 17being below a threshold. According to one or more embodiments, thecriterion comprises an accelerometer of one of the on site primarycontrol device 16 or the on site secondary control device 17 detectingan acceleration greater than a threshold value. According to one or moreembodiments, the alarm event signal comprises at least one ofinformation associated with a type of alarm event, a required attributeto disarm the premises security system 11, or information indicating apredetermined interval of time to disarm the premises security system11. According to one or more embodiments, the on site secondary controldevice 17 is configured to communicate with the remote monitoring center20 via a first communication protocol, and the on site secondary controldevice 17 is configured to communicate with the on site primary controldevice 16 via a second communication protocol, the first communicationprotocol being different from the second communication protocol.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process in a premises securitysystem 11 including a premises device 14, an on-site primary controldevice 16, and on-site secondary control device 17, according to one ormore embodiments of the present invention. One or more blocks describedherein may be performed by one or more elements of premises device 14,by one or more elements of on-site primary control device 16 such as byone or more of processing circuitry 34 (including alarm unit 19),processor 36, etc., and by one or more elements of on-site secondarycontrol device 17, such as by one or more of processing circuitry 46(including the command unit 21), processor 48, etc. The on-site primarycontrol device 16 is configured to communicate with the premises device14 and the on-site secondary control device 17, where the secondarycontroller is physically separated from the control device. The on-siteprimary control device 16 is configured to receive (Block S126) adetection signal from the premises device. The on-site primary controldevice 16 is configured to determine (Block S128) that an alarm eventhas occurred based on the detection signal. The on-site primary controldevice 16 is configured to transmit (Block S130) an alarm event signalto the secondary control device 17 for temporary storage. The on-siteprimary control device 16 is configured to trigger (Block S132) apredefined timer, an expiration of the predefined timer configured tocause transmission of the alarm event signal to a remote monitoringcenter 20. The on-site secondary control device 17 is configured toreceive (Block S134) the alarm event signal from the primary controldevice. The on-site secondary control device 17 is configured totemporarily store (Block S136) the alarm event signal. The on-sitesecondary control device 17 is configured to determine (Block S138) thata criterion associated with the premises security system is met. Theon-site secondary control device 17 is configured to transmit (BlockS140) the alarm event signal to the remote monitoring center 20 inresponse to determining that the criterion associated with the premisessecurity system 11 is met.

According to one or more embodiments, the criterion comprises at leastone of a wireless connection between the on-site secondary controldevice 17 and the on-site primary control device 16 is determined to beat least temporarily disrupted, a predetermined interval of time hasexpired, one of a mechanical failure or an electrical failure at one ofthe on-site secondary control device 17 or the on-site primary controldevice 16 is detected, or an alarm trigger signal including a predefinedcode entered by a user is received. According to one or moreembodiments, the criterion comprises at least one of a signal strengthof a connection between the on site secondary control device 17 and theon site primary control device 16 being below a first threshold value,or a signal to interference and noise ratio of the connection betweenthe on site secondary control device 17 and the on site primary controldevice 16 being below a second threshold value. According to one or moreembodiments, the criterion comprises a power level of the on siteprimary control device 16 or the on site secondary control deice 17being below a threshold. According to one or more embodiments, thecriterion comprises an accelerometer of one of the on site primarycontrol device 16 or the on site secondary control device 17 detectingan acceleration greater than a threshold value. According to one or moreembodiments, the alarm event signal comprises at least one ofinformation associated with a type of alarm event, a required attributeto disarm the premises security system 11, or information indicating apredetermined interval of time to disarm the premises security system11. According to one or more embodiments, the on site secondary controldevice 17 is configured to communicate with the remote monitoring center20 via a first communication protocol, and the on site secondary controldevice 17 is configured to communicate with the on site primary controldevice 16 via a second communication protocol, the first communicationprotocol being different from the second communication protocol.

Having described the general process flow of arrangements of thedisclosure and having provided examples of hardware and softwarearrangements for implementing the processes and functions of thedisclosure, the sections below provide details and examples ofarrangements for additional embodiments of premises security systemsusing secondary controller(s) for performing backup and/or redundancyrelated functionality during a premises security event.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , in some embodiments the control device 16 mayinclude a Wi-Fi modem and the secondary controller 17 (which may includea Wi-Fi/cellular bridge), may include a Wi-Fi modem acting as a hotspot,a backup battery, and an active cellular modem. In these embodiments,the communication between the control device 16 and the secondarycontroller 17 may be encrypted using a proprietary protocol. As shown inFIG. 7 , control device 16 and secondary controller 17 are incommunication via the first communication link 22 a that utilizes Wi-Ficonnection. Additionally, the remote monitoring center 20 is incommunication with the secondary controller 17 via the cellularconnection in cell Network 18 a, and the remote monitoring center 20 isin communication with the control device 16 via the broadband connectionin broadband Network 18 b. When an alarm is triggered, and the system 10is entering an entry delay window, the control device 16 may iteratethrough the connected secondary control devices to send a pending alarmregistration or alarm event signal. The secondary controller(s) 17 maythen receive the alarm registration or event signal and begin theexpiration countdown. The secondary controller 17 may establishconnection to the remote monitoring center 20 via Network 18 a. If thecountdown expires, the secondary controller 17 may immediately reportthe pending alarm to the remote monitoring center 20.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , in one or more embodiments, in someembodiments, the control device 16 may include a Wi-Fi modem and thesecondary controller 17 (which may include DECT/ULE-cellular bridge),may include a DECT/ULE radio, a backup battery, and an active cellularmodem. In these embodiments, the communication between the controldevice 16 and the secondary controller 17 may be encrypted using aproprietary protocol. As shown in FIG. 8 , control device 16 andsecondary controller 17 are in communication via the first wirelessconnection 22 b that utilizes a DECT/ULE connection. Additionally, theremote monitoring center 20 is in communication with the secondarycontroller 17 via the cellular connection in cell Network 18 a, and theremote monitoring center 20 is in communication with the control device16 via the broadband connection in broadband Network 18 b. When an alarmis triggered, and the system 10 is entering an entry delay window, thecontrol device 16 may iterate through the connected secondary controller17 to send a pending alarm registration or alarm event signal. Thesecondary controller 17 may then receive the alarm registration or eventsignal and begin the expiration countdown. The secondary controller 17may establish connection to the remote monitoring center 20 via thecellular connection Network 18 a. If the countdown expires, thesecondary controller 17 may immediately report the pending alarm to theremote monitoring center 20.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , in one or more embodiments, in someembodiments, the control device 16 may include a Wi-Fi modem and aBluetooth® BLE modem, and the secondary controller 17 (which may includea mobile cellular device) may include a Bluetooth® BLE radio, a Wi-Firadio connection, backup battery, and active cellular modem. In theseembodiments, the communication between the control device 16 and thesecondary controller 17 may be encrypted using a proprietary protocol.As shown in FIG. 9 , control device 16 and secondary controller 17 arein communication via the first communication link 22 a that utilizesWi-Fi connection and the first communication link 22 c that utilizesBluetooth®/BLE connection. Additionally, the remote monitoring center 20is in communication with the secondary controller 17 via the cellularconnection in cell Network 18 a, and the remote monitoring center 20 isin communication with the control device 16 via the broadband connectionin broadband Network 18 b. When an alarm is triggered, and the system 10is entering an entry delay window, the control device 16 may iteratethrough the connected secondary controller 17 to send a pending alarmregistration or alarm event signal. The secondary controller 17 may thenreceive the alarm registration or event signal and begin the expirationcountdown. The secondary controller 17 may establish connection to theremote monitoring center 20 via the cellular connection in cell Network18 a. If the countdown expires, the secondary controller 17 mayimmediately report the pending alarm to the remote monitoring center 20.

Referring now to FIG. 10 , in one or more embodiments, the controldevice 16 may include a Bluetooth® modem and a Wi-FI modem, and thesecondary controller 17 may include a Bluetooth®/BLE modem, a backupbattery, and active cellular modem. In these embodiments, thecommunication between the control device 16 and the secondary controller17 may be encrypted using a proprietary protocol. As shown in FIG. 10 ,control device 16 and secondary controller 17 are in communication viathe first communication link 22 c that utilizes Bluetooth®/BLEconnection. Additionally, the remote monitoring center 20 is incommunication with the secondary controller 17 via the cellularconnection in cell Network 18 a, and the remote monitoring center 20 isin communication with the control device 16 via the broadband connectionin broadband Network 18 b. When an alarm is triggered, and the system 10is entering an entry delay window, the control device 16 may iteratethrough the connected secondary controller 17 to send a pending alarmregistration or alarm event signal. The secondary controller 17 may thenreceive the alarm registration or event signal and begin the expirationcountdown. The secondary controller 17 may establish connection to theremote monitoring center 20 via the cellular connection in cell Network18 a. If the countdown expires, the secondary controller 17 mayimmediately report the pending alarm to the remote monitoring center 20.

Some Examples

Example A1. An on-site secondary controller 17 in communication with acontrol device 16 in a premises security system 11, the on-sitesecondary controller 17 comprising:

-   -   processing circuitry 46 configured to:        -   receive an alarm event signal;        -   temporarily store the alarm event signal; and        -   determine whether to transmit the stored alarm event signal            to an off-site third controller 20 based on whether a            criteria is met.

Example A2. The on-site secondary controller 17 of Example A1, whereinthe criteria includes at least one of:

-   -   a connection between the secondary controller 17 and the control        device 16 is at least temporarily disrupted;        -   a predetermined interval of time has expired;        -   an adverse event affecting the on-site secondary controller            17 is detected; and        -   an alarm trigger signal is received.

Example A3. The on-site secondary controller 17 of any of Examples A1and A2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured totransmit the alarm event signal to the off-site third controller 20 whenit is determined that the criteria is met.

Example A4. The on-site secondary controller 17 of any of ExamplesA1-A3, wherein the alarm event signal includes at least one of audible,visual, and tactile information from a premises device in communicationwith the control device 16.

Example A5. The on-site secondary controller 17 of any of ExamplesA1-A4, wherein the on-site secondary controller 17 is a controllerintegrated with the premises security system 11.

Example B1. A control device 16 for a premises security system 11, thecontrol device 16 comprising:

-   -   processing circuitry 34 configured to:        -   receive an event signal; and        -   transmit an alarm event signal to an on-site secondary            controller 17 for temporary storage until a criteria is met            for the on-site secondary controller 17 to perform at least            one action associated with the criteria.

Example B2. The control device 16 of Example B1, wherein at least one ofthe event signal and the alarm event signal includes at least one ofaudible, visual, and tactile information from a premises device incommunication with the control device 16.

Example B3. The control device 16 of Example B2, wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to:

-   -   receive a first alarm event termination signal; and    -   when the alarm event termination signal is received, transmit a        second alarm event termination signal to the on-site secondary        controller 17 to cause the on-site secondary controller 17 to        discard the alarm event signal.

Example B4. The control device 16 of any of Examples B1-B3, wherein:

-   -   the event signal includes sensor data received from a premises        device; and    -   the processing circuitry 34 is further configured to determine        whether to trigger the alarm event signal based on the sensor        data.

Example C1. A method implemented by an on-site secondary controller 17in communication with a control device 16 in a premises security system11, the method comprising:

-   -   receiving an alarm event signal from the control device 16;    -   temporarily store the alarm event signal; and    -   determining whether to transmit the stored alarm event signal to        an off-site third controller based on whether a criteria is met.

Example C2. The method of Example C1, wherein the criteria includes atleast one of:

-   -   a connection between the secondary controller 17 and the control        device 16 is at least temporarily disrupted;    -   a predetermined interval of time has expired;    -   an adverse event affecting the on-site secondary controller 17        is detected; and    -   an alarm trigger signal is received.

Example C3. The method of any of Examples C1 and C2, further including:

-   -   transmitting the alarm event signal to the off-site third        controller 20 when it is determined that the criteria has been        met.

Example C4. The method of any of Examples C1-C3, wherein the alarm eventsignal includes at least one of audible, visual, and tactile informationfrom a premises device in communication with the control device 16.

Example C5. The method of any of Examples C1-C4, wherein the on-sitesecondary controller 17 is a controller integrated with the premisessecurity system 11.

Example D1. A method implemented by a control device 16 for a premisessecurity system 11, the method comprising:

-   -   receiving an event signal;    -   transmitting an alarm event signal to an on-site secondary        controller 17 for temporary storage until a criteria is met for        the on-site secondary controller 17 to perform at least one        action associated with the criteria.

Example D2. The method of Example D1, wherein at least one of the eventsignal and the alarm event signal includes at least one of audible,visual, and tactile information from a premises device in communicationwith the control device 16.

Example D3. The method of any of Examples D1 and D2, further comprising:

-   -   receiving a first alarm event termination signal; and    -   transmitting a second alarm event termination signal to the        on-site secondary controller 17 to discard the alarm event        signal when the first alarm event termination signal is        received.

Example D4. The method of any of Examples D1-D3, wherein:

-   -   the event signal includes sensor data received from a premises        device; and    -   determining whether to trigger the alarm event signal based on        the sensor data.

The concepts described herein may be embodied as methods, dataprocessing systems, computer program products and/or computer storagemedia storing executable computer programs. Accordingly, the conceptsdescribed herein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment,an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a “circuit” or“module.” Any process, step, action and/or functionality describedherein may be performed by, and/or associated to, a correspondingmodule, which may be implemented in software and/or firmware and/orhardware. Furthermore, the disclosure may take the form of a computerprogram product on a tangible computer usable storage medium havingcomputer program code embodied in the medium that can be executed by acomputer. Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilizedincluding hard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, opticalstorage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems and computerprogram products. Each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or blockdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrationsand/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer (to thereby create a specialpurpose computer), special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It is to be understood that the functions/acts noted in the blocks mayoccur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. Forexample, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.Although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the conceptsdescribed herein may be written in an object-oriented programminglanguage such as Python, Java® or C++. However, the computer programcode for carrying out operations of the disclosure may also be writtenin conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, theremote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a localarea network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection maybe made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet usingan Internet Service Provider).

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/orcombination, and the present specification, including the drawings,shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of allcombinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein,and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shallsupport claims to any such combination or subcombination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentembodiments are not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above tothe contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawingsare not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teachings without departing from the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed:
 1. An on-site secondary control device configured tocommunicate with an on-site primary control device of a premisessecurity system, the on-site primary control device being configured totrigger an alarm event signal associated with the premises securitysystem, the on-site secondary control device being physically separatedfrom the on-site primary control device, the on-site secondary controldevice comprising: processing circuitry configured to: receive an alarmevent signal from the on-site primary control device, the alarm eventsignal indicating that a premises device has been triggered; temporarilystore the alarm event signal; determine that a criterion associated withthe premises security system is met, the criterion comprising at leastone of: a signal strength of a connection between the on-site secondarycontrol device and the on-site primary control device being below afirst threshold value; a signal to interference and noise ratio of theconnection between the on-site secondary control device and the on-siteprimary control device being below a second threshold value; a powerlevel of the on-site primary control device or the on-site secondarycontrol device being below a third threshold value; or an accelerometerof one of the on-site primary control device or the on-site secondarycontrol device detecting an acceleration greater than a fourth thresholdvalue; and in response to determining that the criterion associated withthe premises security system is met, transmit the alarm event signal toa remote monitoring center.
 2. The on-site secondary control device ofclaim 1, wherein the criterion comprises at least one of: a wirelessconnection between the on-site secondary control device and the on-siteprimary control device is determined to be at least temporarilydisrupted; a predetermined interval of time has expired; one of amechanical failure or an electrical failure at one of the on-sitesecondary control device or the on-site primary control device isdetected; or an alarm trigger signal including a predefined code enteredby a user is received.
 3. The on-site secondary control device of claim1, wherein the alarm event signal comprises at least one of: informationassociated with a type of alarm event; a required attribute to disarmthe premises security system; or information indicating a predeterminedinterval of time to disarm the premises security system.
 4. The on-sitesecondary control device of claim 1, wherein: the on-site secondarycontrol device is configured to communicate with the remote monitoringcenter via a first communication protocol; and the on-site secondarycontrol device is configured to communicate with the on-site primarycontrol device via a second communication protocol, the firstcommunication protocol being different from the second communicationprotocol.
 5. A premises security system, comprising: a premises devicelocated at a premises; an on-site primary control device located at thepremises and configured to communicate with the premises device and anon-site secondary control device located at the premise, the on-sitesecondary control device being physically separated from the on-siteprimary control device, the on-site primary control device comprisingon-site primary control device processing circuitry configured to:receive a detection signal from the premises device; determine that analarm event has occurred based on the detection signal; transmit analarm event signal to the on-site secondary control device for temporarystorage; and trigger a predefined timer, an expiration of the predefinedtimer configured to cause transmission of the alarm event signal to aremote monitoring center; and wherein the on-site secondary controldevice comprises on-site secondary control device processing circuitryconfigured to: receive the alarm event signal from the on-site primarycontrol device; temporarily store the alarm event signal; determine thata criterion associated with the premises security system is met, thecriterion comprising at least one of: a signal strength of a connectionbetween the on-site secondary control device and the on-site primarycontrol device being below a first threshold value; a signal tointerference and noise ratio of the connection between the on- sitesecondary control device and the on-site primary control device beingbelow a second threshold value; a power level of the on-site primarycontrol device or the on-site secondary control device being below athird threshold value; or an accelerometer of one of the on-site primarycontrol device or the on-site secondary control device detecting anacceleration greater than a fourth threshold value; and in response todetermining that the criterion associated with the premises securitysystem is met, transmit the alarm event signal to a remote monitoringcenter.
 6. The premises security system of claim 5, wherein thecriterion includes at least one of: a wireless connection between theon-site secondary control device and the on-site primary control deviceis determined to be at least temporarily disrupted; a predeterminedinterval of time has expired; one of a mechanical failure or anelectrical failure at one of the on-site secondary control device or theon-site primary control device is detected; or an alarm trigger signalincluding a predefined code entered by a user is received.
 7. Thepremises security system of claim 5, wherein the alarm event signalcomprises at least one of: information associated with a type of alarmevent; a required attribute to disarm the premises security system; orinformation indicating a predetermined interval of time to disarm thepremises security system.
 8. The premises security system of claim 5,wherein: the on-site secondary control device is configured tocommunicate with the remote monitoring center via a first communicationprotocol; and the on-site secondary control device is configured tocommunicate with the on-site primary control device via a secondcommunication protocol, the first communication protocol being differentfrom the second communication protocol.
 9. A method implemented by anon-site secondary control device in communication with an on-siteprimary control device for a premises security system, the on-siteprimary control device being configured to trigger an alarm event signalassociated with the premises security system, the on-site secondarycontrol device being physically separated from the on-site primarycontrol device, the method comprising: receiving an alarm event signalfrom the on-site primary control device, the alarm event signalindicating that a premises device has been triggered; temporarilystoring the alarm event signal; determining that a criterion associatedwith the premises security system is met, the criterion comprising atleast one of: a signal strength of a connection between the on-sitesecondary control device and the on-site primary control device beingbelow a first threshold value; a signal to interference and noise ratioof the connection between the on-site secondary control device and theon-site primary control device being below a second threshold value; apower level of the on-site primary control device or the on-sitesecondary control device being below a third threshold value; or anaccelerometer of one of the on-site primary control device or theon-site secondary control device detecting an acceleration greater thana fourth threshold value; and in response to determining that thecriterion associated with the premises security system is met,transmitting the alarm event signal to a remote monitoring center. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein the criterion comprises at least one of:a wireless connection between the on-site secondary control device andthe on-site primary control device is determined to be at leasttemporarily disrupted; a predetermined interval of time has expired; oneof a mechanical failure or an electrical failure at one of the on-sitesecondary control device or the on-site primary control device isdetected; or an alarm trigger signal including a predefined code enteredby a user is received.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the alarmevent signal comprises at least one of: information associated with atype of alarm event; a required attribute to disarm the premisessecurity system; or information indicating a predetermined interval oftime to disarm the premises security system.